Elections in Karnataka: after nine years, Hindu nationalists lose power

Congress, the first party in the country, won with a large majority and will be able to form the government alone. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is supporter of Hindu ultranationalist groups, perpetrators of attacks against religious and social minorities in the country.

Bangalore (AsiaNews
/ Agencies) - After nine years of
unchallenged rule the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP), an ultranationalist Hindu party has lost control of Karnataka. Congress, the ruling party in India's Union Government
won the election gaining a full majority, with
116 out of 223
constituencies. 113 seats are
required to form the government. The
second party seems to be the
Janata Dal (JD), a left-wing secular
party, only present in Karnataka
and Kerala.

The elections were held on May 5. In
recent times, the party has tried every possible means to regain
consensus and grab votes, even
using lepers. According to some, even the April
17 explosion near the headquarters of the BJP in
Bangalore was a "trick"
to curry favor with the party votes.

Compared to previous years and forecasts of the last days,
the BJP is decimated.
Its defeat is good news especially for social and religious minorities of Karnataka, victims in these years of
violence and persecution of the Hindu
ultranationalist groups, openly supported
by the BJP.